Tool for threading cords in venetian shades



zwm'm Dec. EM, 1949 J. J. SKELTON TOOL FOR THREADING CORDS IN VENE'IIAN SHADES Filed Nov. 6, 1947 INVENTOR. John James Shelton ?atented Dec. 20, 1949 UNITED STATES PATENT FFltll f.v

TOOL FOR THREADING CORDS IN VENETIAN SHADES 3 Claims.

My invention relates to improvements in tool for threading cords in Venetian blinds.

In assembling Venetian blinds, with the necessary cords for their operation, there is always considerable difficulty in threading the cords through the slats of the blinds and through the webbing and upper and lower end pieces as well. It is oftentimes desirable to remove and rethread the cords while the blinds are in position on the Window. It is the purpose of my invention to provide a novel tool which is particularly advantageous in threading the cords through the several parts of the Venetian blinds.

It is also the purpose of my invention to provide a threading tool which is flexible and is of substantial length so that it can be manipulated in difiicult positions, such as are encountered at the top of the blind when it is mounted on a window.

It is the further purpose of my invention to provide a novel assembly of the threading tip, a shank and a cord attaching sleeve in a tool of the character described.

The nature and advantages of my invention will appear more fully from the following description and the accompanying drawings, in which a preferred form of the invention is shown. It should be understood, however, that the drawings and description are illustrative only and are not to be considered as limiting the invention except insofar as it is limited by the claims.

In the drawings:

Figure 1 is a side view of a tool constructed in accordance with my invention;

Figure 2 is a sectional view through the cord attaching end of the tool;

Figure 3 is a sectional view through the tip end of the tool; and

Figure 4 is a sectional view taken on the line 44 of Figure 2.

Referring now to the drawings, my improved threading tool is made of a pointed tip 5, a shank 6, and a cord attaching sleeve 1. Preferably the shank 5 is pointed as shown and is made of a solid metal so as to have a substantial weight. The tip has a reduced portion 8 which is provided with threads 9. The shank portion 6 preferably is made up of spring wire coiled tightly so that it tends to hold a straight shape. The threads 9 are made to fit the coils h! of the wire. The shank 8 is of sufficient length to take several of the coils in in order to establish a firm connection between the tip and the shank.

The cord attaching sleeve 1 is connected to the flexible shank 6 by a plug I l. The plug l l is pro- 2 vided with threads i2 to receive the coils H! of the shank 6. One end of the plug H is inserted into the sleeve 1, which is then swaged down on the plug, as indicated at Hi, to permanently connect the plug and the sleeve together.

The sleeve '5 and the plug l I are combined with a screw ill for releasably attaching the cord l5, which is to be threaded through the Venetian blind. The screw IQ has a reduced extension is that is fitted into an aperture drilled in the plug 1 I. It is usually sufiicient to mount the reduced extension [6 by driving it into the plug H. Of course the swaging at I3 also secures the extension 16 in the plug. The screw M has a steep thread It, so that by simply inserting the cord l5 and turning it in the sleeve 1 the screw will be caused to penetrate the cord and releasably attach it to the sleeve. The sleeve is flared slightly at It in order to make it easy to insert the cord I5.

It is believed to be evident from the foregoing description that I have provided a simple and effective tool for threading Venetian blinds. In finishing the tool, some soft filler material, such as solder, may be used at I9 and 20 to fill the space at the ends of the coiled wire spring, where it abuts the tip 5 and the sleeve 1. Thus there are no sharp corners anywhere to catch on the slats or the webs of the Venetian blinds.

It is, of course, within the scope of my invention to utilize some other means for the flexible shank 5, preferably however, such means should be resilient and smooth in order to function properly in threading the cords through the Venetian blinds.

Having thus described my invention, I claim:

1. A threading tool of the character described, comprising in combination a pointed tip, a long hollow shank, said tip having an elongated reduced portion on which the shank is mounted, a plug fixed in the other end of the shank, a screw having a reduced shaft extending into the plug and a tapered threaded portion projecting from the plug and a sleeve abutting the shank and compressed on the screw shank receiving portion of the plug to lock the screw shank therein, the sleeve covering the screw.

2. A threading tool of the character described, comprising in combination a pointed tip, a coiled spring wire shank, said tip having a reduced threaded portion equal in diameter to the interior diameter of the said shank on which the shank is mounted, a plug fixed in the other end of the shank, a screw projecting from the plug and a sleeve abutting the shank and fixed on the plug, the sleeve covering the screw.

3. A threading tool of the character described, comprising in combination a pointed tip, a resilient shank, said tip having a threaded extension to which the shank is attached, a plug threaded in the other end of the shank, a screw 5 projecting from the plug and a sleeve fixed to the plug and extending beyond the screw, the screw being tapered from its base to a sharp tip, and the sleeve having its interior surface flared outwardly at the free end whereby to receive the end 10 of a fabric cord.

JOHN JAMES SKELTON.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the 15 file of this patent:

Number Number UNITED STATES PATENTS Name Date Smith July 24, 1888 Thompson Aug. 23, 1898 Minahan Aug. 11, 1914 Kelly Aug. 8, 1922 English Dec. 27, 1927 Hardesty Mar. 30, 1937 FOREIGN PATENTS Country Date Italy May 19, 1937 Sweden Aug. 1, 1939 

